Category: Energy
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173: Using WUFI® to Keep Buildings Dry and Healthy
Jesse Clarke is concerned with how to keep buildings dry so that they remain healthy, durable and energy efficient. Jesse is the Building Science Manager for Pro Clima Australia and Pro Clima NZ. He’s also an experienced advocate of WUFI® software. If you don’t put the building products together properly, then you don’t manage the…
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172: The Lotus Eco Village – How to Create Affordable Healthy Houses
In 1971, Eric Doornekamp led a group of yoga enthusiasts to establish the Lotus Yoga Centre and Retreat in Aro Street, Wellington. Almost half a century on, the Lotus Yoga Centre Charitable Trust is branching out and developing an Eco-Village. The Lotus Eco Village will be built in Paraparaumu, on a 3 hectare site purchased by…
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171: The Baillie Eco-Home
Russell Baillie describes his Baillie Eco-Home as a modern, contemporary house that’s also green under the skin. It’s a two storey, four/five bedroom home in Mt Eden which was completed in 2016. The house is a showcase of efficiency, sustainability and universal design. Russell has publicly shared his design and build journey on the Baillie Eco-Home…
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Why I Bought an SUV
Technically, I didn’t purchase my new SUV. It’s a work vehicle. But I did get to choose the make and model, and I’m still slightly surprised as to why I selected an SUV. How did my search for the best electric vehicle come to this? I’d always considered ‘sport utility vehicles’ as the worst environmental…
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162: Introducing the LUNOS
When I first saw the LUNOS, I was skeptical. How could this be a ventilation solution with true heat recovery, when it’s so small? I particularly weary of systems claiming to be ‘heat recovery ventilation’, because so much of what’s typically sold and installed as such in New Zealand, simply is not. Worse than that,…
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156: Why Passive House? With Dr Wolfgang Feist
I never intended for this to become a Passive House blog site, nor did I intend to become a Passive House expert. And I don’t think either of those two things have happened, yet. I have had a number of Passive House designers and product suppliers on the show and earlier this year I was…
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153: Simple is the New Smart Home
What makes a ‘smart home’? Paul Dowsett and his team at Sustainable.To are dedicate to creating affordable, healthy and energy efficient homes, because that’s what Paul believes is ‘the right thing to do’. I think that a pretty good definition for a ‘smart home’. And the best way to achieve it? Keep it simple. Simple…
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148 Designing for your climate
Graham Hunt goes into a lot of detail when researching the local climate that will impact the comfort of a home. Designing for your climate includes an analysis of both the macro – the temperature, rainfall and humidity of the region, but also the micro – the local wind, shading and exposure of a particular site.…
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138 Dr. Allison Bailes Energy Vanguard
Dr Allison Bailes III uses his PhD in physics and his background in teaching, to educate the world about better buildings. Through his company Energy Vanguard, Dr Bailes has been recognised as a great communicator, turning complex ideas like relative humidity and psychrometrics, into understandable fundamentals for better home performance. The Phsyics of Good Buildings…
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130: Thoughtful Design. Delightful Living.
The philosophy of Albertsson Hansen is summed up in these simple words. Thoughtful design. Delightful living. Christine Albertsson is driven by her passion for creating wonderful spaces for people to live in. She’s also driven by good design and responsible building. Architecture was a natural coming together for Christine of her love of art, photography, science…